Mumbai: When a commercial pilot in India announced in 2009 that he would build a plane on top of the roof of his home, most people thought he was joking because he had no aeronautical engineering experience.
But nine years later, Amol Yadav, 42, from Mumbai not only fulfilled his dream of constructing the plane on top of his home, he also signed a 35,000 rupee-crore ($5.4bn) agreement with the Maharashtra state government to set up the country's first aircraft manufacturing factory.
Yadav, who works as a senior commander with Jet Airways and flies twin-engine turboprop planes, said it was his longtime dream to build aircraft.
"In 1998, I bought a six-cylinder petrol engine belonging to a truck for $160 and started building my first aircraft," Yadav said. "I abandoned the project after making a lot of mistakes in it."
But he didn't give up. The next year, he decided to build a new plane but needed a new engine.
Despite the fact his family's construction business was running a significant loss that year, they decided to fund his "dream" project. His mother used her Mangala Sutra necklace as collateral for a loan from a local jeweller.
Amol built a workshop and spent four years constructing a six-seat aircraft. Unlike his previous attempt, the plane was operational.
"I tested the aircraft successfully on a road but it was denied registration by the government," he said.
A few years later, Amol landed the job at Jet Airways. He began flying planes but his dream of building India's first indigenous aircraft still weighed heavily on his mind.
"Our construction business was doing well. Amol had a decent job, so it made him think why shouldn't I give it another try," said his brother Rashmikant Yadav.
In 2009, Amol started working on his third plane. This time, he announced he would build it on the roof of the five-storey building where he lived with his family of 19.
After his shift as a pilot ended, Amol would rush upstairs and get started on constructing the plane. He laboured for seven years with a small crew and in February 2016, his six-seat propeller aircraft was ready to fly.
"I spent about $800,000 of my own money and sold some family property to make this dream come true," he said.
Yadav wanted to show off his aircraft to people during the "Make In India" campaign, which was launched by the government in 2014 to encourage companies to manufacture their products in India. An exhibition was being held in Mumbai in 2016.
"I sought permission from the organisers but they told me there was no space available. It was frustrating," Yadav said.
Despite no permission to display the aircraft during the exhibition, the Yadavs disassembled the plane overnight and brought it down part-by-part using a crane.
"We then assembled the aircraft again and took it to the exhibition ground," Yadav said.
At the gate, security guards didn't pay much attention to them and they entered the exhibition grounds with the plane.
"The next morning, officials found out we had no permission to display the aircraft and detained me. But they couldn't remove the plane as it had by then made headlines in the local media," said Rashmikant. "The aircraft was the centre of attraction."
The plane has an engine powerful enough to climb up to 4,000 metres and its tank can hold enough fuel to fly a distance of nearly 2,500km.
In 2017, the Directorate General of Civil Aviation registered Yadav's aircraft. The plane is currently at Mumbai's airport, but hasn't received permission to fly yet.
01/06/18 Bilal Kuchay/Al Jazeera
To Read the News in full at Source, Click the Headline
But nine years later, Amol Yadav, 42, from Mumbai not only fulfilled his dream of constructing the plane on top of his home, he also signed a 35,000 rupee-crore ($5.4bn) agreement with the Maharashtra state government to set up the country's first aircraft manufacturing factory.
Yadav, who works as a senior commander with Jet Airways and flies twin-engine turboprop planes, said it was his longtime dream to build aircraft.
"In 1998, I bought a six-cylinder petrol engine belonging to a truck for $160 and started building my first aircraft," Yadav said. "I abandoned the project after making a lot of mistakes in it."
But he didn't give up. The next year, he decided to build a new plane but needed a new engine.
Despite the fact his family's construction business was running a significant loss that year, they decided to fund his "dream" project. His mother used her Mangala Sutra necklace as collateral for a loan from a local jeweller.
Amol built a workshop and spent four years constructing a six-seat aircraft. Unlike his previous attempt, the plane was operational.
"I tested the aircraft successfully on a road but it was denied registration by the government," he said.
A few years later, Amol landed the job at Jet Airways. He began flying planes but his dream of building India's first indigenous aircraft still weighed heavily on his mind.
"Our construction business was doing well. Amol had a decent job, so it made him think why shouldn't I give it another try," said his brother Rashmikant Yadav.
In 2009, Amol started working on his third plane. This time, he announced he would build it on the roof of the five-storey building where he lived with his family of 19.
After his shift as a pilot ended, Amol would rush upstairs and get started on constructing the plane. He laboured for seven years with a small crew and in February 2016, his six-seat propeller aircraft was ready to fly.
"I spent about $800,000 of my own money and sold some family property to make this dream come true," he said.
Yadav wanted to show off his aircraft to people during the "Make In India" campaign, which was launched by the government in 2014 to encourage companies to manufacture their products in India. An exhibition was being held in Mumbai in 2016.
"I sought permission from the organisers but they told me there was no space available. It was frustrating," Yadav said.
Despite no permission to display the aircraft during the exhibition, the Yadavs disassembled the plane overnight and brought it down part-by-part using a crane.
"We then assembled the aircraft again and took it to the exhibition ground," Yadav said.
At the gate, security guards didn't pay much attention to them and they entered the exhibition grounds with the plane.
"The next morning, officials found out we had no permission to display the aircraft and detained me. But they couldn't remove the plane as it had by then made headlines in the local media," said Rashmikant. "The aircraft was the centre of attraction."
The plane has an engine powerful enough to climb up to 4,000 metres and its tank can hold enough fuel to fly a distance of nearly 2,500km.
In 2017, the Directorate General of Civil Aviation registered Yadav's aircraft. The plane is currently at Mumbai's airport, but hasn't received permission to fly yet.
01/06/18 Bilal Kuchay/Al Jazeera
0 comments:
Post a Comment